Vermilion Border
by PANDA Qiao
Summary: They hated each other in high school but never thought they'd meet again. She's now a uni-graduate struggling to pay her grandfather's debt whilst he's living the life of a rich CEO. When she takes up a drastic opportunity out of desperation, it ends in the most extreme of circumstances. He can only pray to God he's not too late. Rated M for suicidal themes.
1. Crimson Red

I don't think I've ever written a Gakuen Alice fanfiction before. If I have, thank God I can't remember anything because my old fanfictions were nothing but pure atrocity.

I'm not really sure where I'm going with the storyline here. I've a few major twists and plots that are definitely going in, but it's mostly writing and finding ideas along the way. I decided to write this story (as well as create a few plot ideas) whilst listening to **Summertime Sadness** by my bae, Lana, so you can imagine the vibe of this fanfic, lmao.

In the past, many of my fanfictions didn't make sense due to my carelessness, therefore there were a lot of plotholes. I'm so sorry if that is the case in this as well, lol.

* * *

 ** _Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice._**

* * *

 _ **Vermilion Border**_

\- Chapter 1 -

 **Crimson Red**

 **x**

* * *

"I'm incredibly sorry, Miss Mikan, but we require a minimum deposit of at least four-hundred-thousand yen each month."

Sakura Mikan sighed for the umpteenth time that day and bit down on her tongue to keep herself from crying out in frustration.

She was short of the monthly minimum, again.

"But, but I really can't pay that much each month - I'm already working two jobs _and_ I still have my student loan to pay!"

The middle-aged woman sitting opposite Mikan (sporting a formal updo and clutching an envelope filled with just short of two-hundred-thousand yen in her hand) grimaced sympathetically at the young girl's panicking state and waited for her to calm down.

"Sorry, Miss Mikan, but since the debt your grandfather left behind is considerably large, four-hundred-thousand yen a month is already considered fair in terms of monthly payments."

Mikan stared at the floor and gripped the edges of her seat in effort to not let tears start rolling down her eyes. She was already struggling to juggle her waitressing and barista jobs that she had been working full-time as, as well as finding the time to eat and sleep. Initially, her plan after graduating university (with a degree in English and translation) was to begin working as an intern at a company, hopefully working her way up the ranks. However, her grandfather's sudden death meant there was a change in plans.

 _Grandfather..._

Mikan sighed and placed a hand over her chest in effort to control her pounding heart. She clenched her eyes shut and tried to block out images of her grandfather lying in the hospital bed, skin pale white and his breathing uneven after doctors told her the brain tumour was discovered too late.

 _"Mikan, listen to grandfather. You can overcome anything."_

"I understand," she finally said when she managed to compose herself. "Thank you for your time."

"Not at all, Miss Mikan, please be careful on your way out."

After all, if she could make it through university living in a one-room apartment with her grandfather, then she could manage spending every waking hour for the next few months paying off the debt her grandfather left behind.

"Oh, what to do...what to do..." she murmured to herself when the cold February wind hit her in the face. It was a cold Sunday (the only day she got off from work during the week), and she was spending it miserably.

Children and parents were milling about in the park, bundled up in winter clothing and woolly scarves. Mikan clutched her own cherry pink scarf closer to her mouth and hurried along the dirt path.

"Excuse me, miss, may I interest you in a flyer?"

Mikan turned around and found a pretty young female grinning at her with a hot pink leaflet in her hand.

"Oh, um, sure."

"Great," the woman said and pressed the piece of paper into Mikan's hand. "It's a leaflet advertising hostess jobs. Our company needs some new girls for this summer and we prefer when they apply a few months in advance."

Hostess...job? She'd vaguely heard of the profession before, but didn't really know what it consisted of. From what she heard at university, it wasn't a respectable profession.

 _"I heard they sleep with ALL their clients, every single night!"_

 _"No way! Really?"_

 _"Yeah, it's basically prostitution."_

Mikan eyed the girl and her outfit wearily.

Over the knee boots...hot pants...crop top and showing bra straps in the middle of February? Mikan then looked down at her own outfit: skinny jeans, converse shoes, a woolly jumper and a fluffy scarf and hat. She didn't want to judge the girl so quickly, and thus decided that the girl must've just been trying to make a bold fashion statement.

"Well then, see you!" the girl called cheerfully as she skipped off, the hems of her knickers showing as her little heels carried her away. Mikan quickly looked away and prepared herself to throw the leaflet away at the nearest bin - until some numbers caught her eye.

 _30,000 yen per night, guaranteed!_

Staring straight back at her was a beautifully printed 5-digit number that screamed 'I CAN PAY OFF YOUR DEBT, MIKAN!'

 _Oh my god,_ Mikan thought, _what what what?_

 _Come for an interview whenever at_ **Love Divine** _, 43rd Tokyo Street!_

30,000 yen per night?

Mikan made sure no-one was watching and stuffed the leaflet in her pocket. She pulled out her phone and dialled a number in the contact list.

"Hello, Hotaru? I'm going to be a bit late to our coffee date, I need to go home and get changed."

* * *

"I'm telling you, Natsume, you've got to stop treating women like this!"

The dark-haired man simply rolled his eyes at the blubbering blonde and resumed reading through his papers - it was ten in the morning and he was already annoyed from waking up next to some random woman who cried when he told her simply to leave.

"Whatever, Ruka."

"No, Natsume!" He repeated once again, pushing the piece of paper out of his friend's grip. "I'm being serious!"

Natsume slapped his hand down on the table with a look of annoyance on his face. As CEO of _Hyuuga & Co., _the biggest shipping company in Japan, he needed to get these papers read and filled in within the next hour.

Piles of unopened envelopes stared back at him, and he stared at the man in front of his desk with as much enthusiasm as he had to open them.

"You know Nobara just ran down the stairs crying?"

Natsume blinked and continued looking at his documents.

"Who?"

Ruka gasped. "Nobara!"

Natsume shrugged and ignored his friend's complaints, clearly not giving a damn who this 'Nobara' girl was.

"This is your problem, Natsume Hyuuga! You treat women like crap and I think it's totally unfair."

"How I treat women," he replied evenly, "is none of your business, Ruka."

"So I'm supposed to ignore them when they come running into the company building crying for you?"

Natsume sighed, "Leave it, Ruka. I don't even know why you're so bothered."

Ruka shifted uncomfortably and scratched the back of his head. "Well...it just so happens that Nobara is an acquaintance of mine."

Red eyes glanced over at blue ones and then averted back to business documents.

"I see."

"Yeah," Ruka carried on, "I know I never mentioned how you treated women before, but Nobara is the daughter of one of my mother's friends and we've hung out together a few times. Seeing Nobara hurt like that was hard.''

''You know,'' Natsume said whilst pulling another sheet of paper from an envelope, ''you're too soft, Ruka. One day those feelings of yours will get you into some serious shit. I'm not prepared to get myself into a situation like that.''

Ruka huffed and clutched his files closer to his chest, glancing around Natsume's office.

"Why are you here, anyway?" Natsume asked with a raised brow. Ruka was head surgeon at one of the biggest animal centres in Tokyo but here he was, standing in front of Natsume's office almost a twenty minute drive away.

"I came here to inform you that I've arranged a meeting for us with someone tomorrow."

"You know, you've could have just called me to tell me."

"Yes, but I wanted to tell you in person because I think it's going to be a really good business move for both of us.''

''Alright, shoot.''

"So," Ruka said confidently, "the meeting is with new a representative of the _Azama Invention Company_ who has recently come up with a device that will be of use not only to the animal centre, but also your shipping company if it were to be a success overseas."

Natsume pondered for a moment over the thought of signing another contract for shipping overseas. "Alright, fine."

"Good," Ruka beamed, "tomorrow it is."

Natsume waited for his best friend to shut his office door before sighing and grabbing his phone which had been annoyingly vibrating non-stop since the last ten minutes. He unlocked his phone and rolled his eyes at the hoards of messages.

 ** _From unknown sender, 11:12am._**

 _Natsume～! I was thinking, how 'bout we go on a date again? Mari._

 ** _From unknown sender, 11:14am._**

 _Natsu! How could you stop returning my calls? Call me back! Love, Momoko._

 ** _From Miyako T._**

 _Am I just a booty call to you?_

He was about to delete all his text messages when an incoming call from his father stopped him short of his actions. He cursed silently and debated on whether to ignore the call, but then remembered he needed to be on his dad's good side if he wanted to inherit _Hyuuga & co _in the future.

''Hello?'' he said as he mustered as much patience as he could.

''Natsume, what did I tell you about Shouda's daughter?'' the voice on the other end of the line demanded.

''I'll get to it,'' Natsume replied casually and reached for his cup of coffee.

''Natsume, don't play around like this. You know that a contract with _Shouda Artworks_ would be beneficial to both our company's shares and our company reputation. They are reknowned in Europe for their products and that's a big opporunity for us.''

Natsume grunted in acknowledgement and stayed silent.

''I am serious, Natsume Hyuuga. When I said I wanted you to court Shouda's daughter, I wasn't joking around. You know that Sumire wouldn't object at all - she specifically requested for you at our company's last winter ball. With you two together, the contract would be a done deal. Do you know how many companies want to sign a deal with _Shouda Artworks_? I'm warning you, Natsume. No progress from you two and I'm giving the company to your cousin, Tsubasa.'' And with that, he hung up.

Natsume Hyuuga swore to himself when the line went dead and the monotnous beep of his phone filled the room. He despised that Sumire Shouda more than any other woman, which was an accomplishment considering most women annoyed him and he only kept them round to sleep with. But he couldn't let the company go into Tsubasa's hands. _Hyuuga & co._ was rightfully his - he was the CEO, not Tsubasa. His father only threw Tsubasa into the whole Hyuuga-company-inheritance triangle because he knew that the rivalry between the two young men would only fuel Natsume's passion to work harder.

''Fuck this,'' he spat when he unlocked his phone again and clicked on Sumire's contact number which he acquired a month prior (or rather, she forcefully took his phone and put it in herself whilst he tried not to grab it back under the watchful gaze of both their fathers), and pressed the 'message' button.

* * *

"One taro bubble tea, please."

Mikan, clad in a crop top and skirt, watched anxiously as the thin girl behind the bar poured purple liquid into a plastic cup and placed a plastic lid on top.

"You're not ordering?" Hotaru inquired when she took a long sip of the lilac confectionery, leading Mikan over to sit at a small table in the shop.

"Uh.." Mikan thought quickly, "no, I, uh, I'm not hungry - I just ate!"

False - _total lie._

Mikan eyed Hotaru's drink with jealousy and suddenly wished she had her own strawberry version in her hand.

Huge debt means small sacrifices, she noted.

"Have you paid off your debt yet?" Hotaru asked nonchalantly through a mouthful of tapioca pearls. Mikan smiled at her uneasily and slowly nodded, hoping she wouldn't notice the hesitation in her actions.

"Almost...I'm getting there."

When Hotaru simply nodded back, Mikan felt a pang of guilt hit her. She told Hotaru that the debt was only small (she told her it was 'a couple of thousands', which was _technically_ true) and didn't fully reveal the contents of the entire debt to her. Mikan prided herself in being cheerful, happy and lively - she didn't want to weigh down Hotaru with her troubles and cause her to worry, especially when Hotaru was doing so well after graduating from university with a degree in mechanical engineering.

"How's your job going so far?" Mikan asked with a sheepish grin on her face.

Hotaru, being a complete genius and all, got an internship at an engineering company straight after she graduated - not even two months later, she was promoted to chief designer.

Hotaru played with her straw and smiled ever so slightly. "It's going good. I've recently come up with some new inventions that the company's looking into patenting and then hopefully selling abroad to companies in Russia and China. After that, they're looking into the States and Europe."

Mikan squealed and leaned forward in her chair, amazed that her best friend was doing so well. "Kyaa! I'm so happy for you, Hotaru! You're doing so well. Don't forget me when you're ultra rich and famous!"

"Stay away from my bubble tea," was all she said when Mikan's waving arms came too close to the half-finished drink. Mikan giggled and quickly retracted her flailing arms.

"By the way, what hour shifts are you working at the cafe tomorrow?"

Mikan pursed her lips and thought over her Monday work schedule. ''Eight to four, I believe, then waitressing from five to eight.''

"Ah, right," Hotaru replied, "I might see you there. I have a business meeting tomorrow and I chose to hold it at _Petite Biscuit_."

"Wow, Hotaru, I can't believe your internship is going so well...although I probably shouldn't call it that since you've already been promoted to chief designer!"

Hotaru nursed her bubble tea and thought for a moment. "When are you going for an internship? You've already delayed it almost half a year just to work part time at that cafe and restaurant."

The brunette blinked momentarily and slumped a little in her chair. "I...I know, but it's just for the time being until I can...find a good internship?" she lied through her teeth.

Truth was, she'd already received offers from various companies, including working as a trainee translator for one of Japan's leading electronics companies, _Tachibana Electronics Ltd_., but the pay would be insufficient and she couldn't afford to waste even one second of precious money-earning time...

Which reminded her...

" _Crap!_ " Mikan squeaked hastily, glancing at her phone, "I'm supposed to be going to an interview in ten minutes!"

Hotaru watched as she fumbled around, grabbing her bag and earphones and running for the door.

"Good luck," she called out, finishing her drink with one single sip. "Baka."

* * *

Mikan couldn't believe she was actually doing this.

 _Oh, calm down, Mikan! This is just a hostessing job, it's not shady at all, right? Besides, those debts aren't going to pay themselves!_

That's right, Sakura Mikan was at a hostess job interview. I mean, who could refuse an advertisement promising tens-of-thousands of yen per night? Definitely not Mikan and her negative bank account.

'Yeah, I've just arrived. I'll call you back later, okay?''

Mikan eyed the girl sitting opposite her on a seat in the waiting room and immediately wished she'd made a bigger effort with herself. The pretty woman, who looked at least five years older than Mikan herself, exerted a mature sort of beauty as she flipped her phone shut and swished her pink hair over her shoulders.

 _God damnit, she's totally going to get the job. Why did I come in no makeup and a SpongeBob crop top? Ugh, stupid Mikan! I could've made a bigger effort..._

The woman must've noticed Mikan staring wide-eyed at her for she sat forward and giggled.

''This is your first time trying out for this kind of job, I assume? You look so nervous.''

Mikan blinked in shock at the confidence in the woman's voice and coughed uneasily. ''Oh, yes. It is.''

''Don't worry,'' she replied as she leaned back into the chair, eyelashes fluttering, ''you'll definitely get the job. How old are you, 16?''

Did she really look that young? Her childish pigtails probably played into it, she noted.

 _Now I'm definitely not going to get this job._

''I've just turned 22.''

''Ah, I see. Don't stress, you'll get work - men like the young types, obviously, and you've got that cute look about you. You'll be a hit.''

''Thanks...'' Mikan mumbled as she glanced at her converse trainers and Spongebob's huge eyes staring back at her awkwardly. Hardly glamourous at all.

 _"Men like the young types, you'll be a hit."_

Her words echoed in Mikan's head and she couldn't help but shudder. Her only experience with the opposite sex was the occasional weirdo trying to feel her up on her nights out at university and one short-term relationship that ended badly (she caught him sleeping with another girl), and that was enough to put her off them for her duration there. Sure, guys tried to ask her out (according to some girls from her university days, she was 'pretty cute'), but she declined them all and opted to stay in and watch TV.

That is, until now.

''Are you..." Mikan began, "...experienced in this line of work?''

All Mikan kept picturing in her head were images of half-naked hostess girls making out with wrinkly old businessmen. She shuddered at the thought.

The woman laughed at Mikan's anxious expression and waved a mannicured hand in dismissal. ''Oh, of course I am, sweetie. You can call me Misaki.''

''Misaki...'' Mikan repeated, ''nice to meet you. I'm Mikan. Sakura Mikan.''

''Likewise,'' Misaki nodded. "Ah...well, first of all, don't believe the whole stereotype that this industry is all about sex. It's not. It's about giving men a sense of friendship and being good company. There's almost no sex involved, and I say 'almost' because you can arrange to meet up with them in your own time, but that's pretty rare here.''

''Oh, thank goodness...'' Mikan sighed in relief. So apparently hostessing was just drinking and looking pretty. The job seemed easy enough - now all she had to do was find a way to hide it from Hotaru. She didn't want Hotaru worrying about her, and if Hotaru was to lend her money, she wouldn't be able to pay it back fast enough.

''Mikan Sakura?''

The sound of the door opening broke her out of her wearisome thoughts.

''Oh, that's you,'' Misaki said as an older lady poked her head around the door. ''You'll be fine, Sakura-chan.''

Mikan quickly nodded and grabbed her bag. ''I'm here!''

''Ah yes, Sakura-chan,'' the old woman, wearing an exquisitely beautiful kimono, said and ushered her through the door of the waiting room. ''The interview room is this way.''

Mikan followed the old woman (who Mikan noted to be of high importance, considering the amount of greetings she was receiving) down a series of corridors until they reached a spacious room that appeared to be the woman's office. It was furnished with velvet carpeting, royal blue wallpaper and expensive-looking ornaments such as massive jewels and paintings lining the walls and furniture.

''Please, do sit down,'' the lady gestured to Mikan as she took her own seat behind the office desk.

Mikan hastily sat down on the velvet chair and placed her bag by her feet.

''I'm Himemiya, the owner of this hostess bar. You can call me Hī-sama. I conduct the interviews myself here and if you are successful, I will be contacting you within the next 24-hours.''

Mikan nodded and remained silent. That explained all the bowing people before.

''Now, dear, you said your name was Sakura?'' she asked as she opened the lid of a pen, preparing to take notes of the interview process.

''Yes, ma'am,'' Mikan replied, ''my name is Sakura Mikan.''

''And Sakura, how old are you?''

''I turned 22 recently.''

''And do you have an qualifications? Any other jobs?''

Mikan glanced down momentarily upon the thought of her degree being wasted working in a _hostess bar_ of all places, but hey - at least the pay was good. ''I graduated from university with a degree in English and translation, and I'm currently working as a waitress and barista full-time during the day.''

Hī-sama raised her brows in surprise and stopped writing briefly, before slowly nodding and continuing to make notes. ''What a rather strange predicament you've got yourself into, child. You say you've graduated from university and now you're working full-time as a waitress and a barista during the day, and you're looking into working as a hostess during the night?''

''I...'' Mikan began, unable to find the words to explain her situation without bawling. It'd been a hellish few months for her bank account, social life and physical and mental wellbeing, and she didn't want to start crying now in a job interview that promised at least _thirty-thousand_ yen a night. ''I, um...it's...''

''Debt?'' Hī-sama asked, still writing notes on her sheet of paper.

Mikan's eyes widened upon her brashness and quickly mustered the strength to make an audible response. ''Yes.''

''Child, believe me, most of the girls working here wouldn't be here if they weren't neck-deep in debt,'' she replied as she nonchalantly turned over the paper and began writing a new line. "Owing money to drug dealers, funding money for cocaine, I've seen it all."

Mikan didn't know how to respond to Hī-sama's comments - she wasn't too familiar with 'bad girls' who did drugs and whatnot, and began to seriously reconsider working here.

"I read your leaflet, is this job going to start in the summer?"

''Actually,'' Hī-sama suddenly began, ''I have good news.'' Mikan's ears pricked up in curiosity as she placed the pen down onto the table and clasped her hands together. ''One of our girls left a vacancy available just a few hours ago after she injured her leg in a car accident, so there's a temporary space available for a month or two.''

Mikan gasped and put her hand to her chest. "Oh my gosh, is she alright? What happened?"

"She should be, she's a strong girl. Got into a small car accident today outside that Hyuuga company building and fractured her kneecap."

"How bad is her injury?" Mikan probed with worry in her voice.

"Not serious enough to be massively concerned, but she does have a nasty fracture. It may only be for a month or two until Nobara comes back, but you're welcome to fill in for her."

"I...thankyou," Mikan started rather slowly, "but if it's ok, I'd like to meet Nobara-san and give her my thanks, as well as best wishes for her health, personally. After all, because of her I am able to work here, even though it isn't through the best of situations."

Hī-sama studied the girl's determined yet grateful expression for a moment and shook her head. "My, my, child. I have to admit, you're quite the determined soul."

"If you could let me visit Nobara-san, I would be forever grateful," Mikan replied with a bow.

Hī-sama shuffled her papers and reached for her drawer. "Very well, Sakura. I'm sure you've met Misaki, the other girl who was in the room with you. She knows about Nobara's situation since she used to work here and still keeps in contact with Nobara, and she is only here today to catch up with the other girls. If you ask her to take you, I'm sure she would agree."

"Thankyou, thankyou!" Mikan said as bowed and slung her bag over her shoulder.

Hī-sama smiled and handed Mikan a sheet of paper. "Here is the timetable. You will be working Nobara's shifts. She works every night of the week apart from Thursdays. Are you able to start tonight?"

"Yes, I am!" Mikan bowed as she took the sheet for, her hands.

Hī-sama put the pen back into the drawer and stood up. "See you tonight, Mikan-san."

* * *

"So this is the hospital where Nobara-san's staying at?"

"Yeah, it is. The nurses here are really nice."

Sakura Mikan followed Misaki closely through the maze of hallways and blue wallpaper.

"What room did the receptionist say it was, sweetie?" Misaki asked as she glanced at each number painted on the doors.

"46, I think it was," Mikan replied as she walked past a door with '40' written on it. "It should be that door right there."

"Ah, here we go," Misaki said and opened the door carefully. The immediate sound of someone bustling about in the hospital bed drew Mikan's attention to a frail looking girl with silver hair lying down with her leg in a white cast.

"Misaki!" she smiled and reached her arms out for the older girl.

"Nobara!"

Mikan watched as the two girls hugged and awkwardly stood by the door.

"Ah, is that the girl you texted me about?" Nobara inquired as she peered over Misaki's shoulder to better look at Mikan's features. "She's pretty."

"Hello, I'm Sakura Mikan." She walked over to Nobara's bed. ''I came to make sure you were okay, and I'm sorry that I only got this job because you were injured-''

"Nonsense," Nobara laughed and looked Mikan sincerely in the eyes, "I'm more than happy that a girl like you is working in my place. You seem sweet, Mikan."

"Uh, hello?" Misaki coughed and clicked her fingers in front of Nobara's face, "you haven't replied to my text as to how you FRACTURED YOUR KNEE CAP, NOBARA IBARAGI!" Misaki scolded her loudly and inspected the impossibly large cast encasing her small leg. ''How the hell did you manage that, woman?''

"Ugh, don't remind me," Nobara rolled her eyes and groaned. She touched the plaster with the tip of her finger and hit her head on the pillow in frustration. "It was all because of that Natsume guy again, Misaki."

Misaki turned to Nobara and frowned. "Oh my god, again? What did I tell you last time, Nobara!"

"I know, I know, but I just had to see him again, Misaki, you've got to understand. I couldn't stop thinking about him from our last one night stand."

Mikan blushed at their conversation and considered whether or not they'd notice if she slowly backed out of the room.

''What did he do?'' Misaki asked, livid, ''If he stooped so low as to hit you with his car, I swear to God, I'll-''

''No, no, he isn't _that_ cold-hearted,'' Nobara said quietly.

Misaki snorted. ''I wouldn't be surprised if he was.''

"Listen. What actually happened was I woke up next to him this morning, he told me to leave and never speak to him again so, naturally, I was upset and went to find him in his office."

"What!" Misaki cried, "No way! Why would you do that?"

"I just really wanted to see him and know why he hated me so much," Nobara said quietly, "so I tried to find him but ended up bumping into an old friend of mine who happened to be Natsume's best friend. I broke down and told him everything. I told him about how I really wanted to see Natsume and how he'd ignore me after he'd finished with me."

Mikan shuddered at the way Nobara said this Natsume guy 'finished' using her. He sounded like a right pig.

"And then what?" Misaki probed.

"Then I got too embarrassed to go all the way to Natsume's office so I just got into my car and, I guess I wasn't paying attention because before I knew it, I drove right into another car passing outside the building."

Misaki shook her head and signed in anger. "Screw that Natsume Hyuuga."

Mikan suddenly raised a brow and stared at Misaki comforting Nobara with a confused expression on her face.

Natsume Hyuuga?

 _Natsume Hyuuga, Natsume Hyuuga, Natsume Hyuuga._..she definitely knew that name.

''Who's Na-'' Mikan began.

"I swear," Misaki said, cracking her knuckles, "if I ever see that Natsume Hyuuga-"

"Stop, Misaki," Nobara gently said, "leave it. I don't want to talk about it."

Misaki sighed and pecked the silver-haired girl's forehead. "Fine. You need to take better care of yourself from now on."

Nobara giggled and nodded. "I will, don't worry. Anyways, I think you both better get back to Love Divine now. My shift - or rather, Mikan's shift is due to start in two hours."

Mikan gulped and glanced at the clock in the room.

7:04pm. Just under an two hours until her shift started at 9.

"Oh good," Misaki smiled and took Mikan by the arm in excitement, "Let me take you back to mine to do your makeup. You can borrow my clothes, too, if you'd like."

Mikan glanced down at her Spongebob crop top and nodded egearly.

* * *

''Natsume-kun~, I'm SO happy I got your message, I'm really looking forward to our date on Tuesday!''

He had to tighten his grip on the phone to stop himself from hanging up that very second. Her squeaky voice and over-enthusiastic tone was pushing him over his limit.

''Okay,'' was all he simply said before hanging up, ''See you.''

He sighed and pushed all the opened envelopes to one side and rubbed his eyes with his hands - finally, he'd finished reading through every pain-stakingly long letter and signed contacts to those that would benefit the company and reject those that were not.

 _Ring Ring._

He swore to God, if it was Sumire again, he would flip.

''What do you want?'' he asked in irritation upon sliding open his phone.

''Good to hear from you too, best friend.''

Natsume glanced at the clock which read _8:34pm_. ''Ruka?''

''Yeah, listen, I just got back from work and got a call off my mother saying that Nobara from this morning was involved in a minor car accident - her mum told my mum, you see.''

Natsume remained unfazed. ''And?''

''So, considering that YOU probably indirectly caused the car crash-''

''What?''

''-because she was probably so upset that you were such an IDIOT to her, I've decided we should go pay her a visit in hospital to see if she is okay.''

''No.''

Ruka sighed. ''Natsume, we need to go. It's the right thing to do.''

''No.''

''Well, she's my friend, Natsume. And she's hurt, because of you. We are going to visit her, like it or not, or I'll cancel that meeting tomorrow.''

Natsume swore he felt a nerve snap in his head. ''Fine,'' he ground out. ''This meeting tomorrow better be worth it or I'm walking out.''

''Okay, well...I don't actually known where the hospital is, so-''

''You _don't know where the hospital is?_ Then why are we even-''

''But I know she works at this hostess bar because the lady who owns it once sent her cat to my centre, so if we go we can ask them if they know where she is.''

'' _What?_ Are you out of your _mind?_ ''

''My mum's phone is switched off at the moment because she's on a plane to film a movie in Germany, so I can't contact her to have her ask for me.''

''Ruka, I am not setting foot in a cheap hostess bar.''

''Tough, I'm picking you up in twenty. Be ready.'' And with that, Ruka hung up, leaving Natsume silently seething and wondering if now was a good time to have a mental breakdown. He shrugged off his blazer jacket and loosened his tie. He was supposed to be meeting up with a girl he had met at the said winter ball his father mentioned previously, but realised that he now had to text her to cancel it.

He tapped the letters into his phone effortlessly and placed it onto the table.

 _Can't make it tonight._

She was going to be disappointed for sure, but he'd find someone else easily if he needed to.

Natsume Hyuuga had high standards when it came to women. He was of a wealthy upper-class background, and so it was only natural that his counterparts were equally as well-bred. Sure, the woman he was supposed to be seeing tonight was tremendously beautiful (Koko, was it? Or was it Kiyo?), but he had no interest in anything long-term. He'd only ever had one girlfriend during his first few years of university and he wasn't going to repeat it any time soon. He found it too much of a hassle, and becoming the next director of _Hyuuga & co._ was his main concern. Therefore, he only interacted with women when he pleased.

That is, until his father decided that dating Sumire Shouda would be an excellent idea.

He sighed when he realised that he promised (was forced, even) to take that annoying woman on a dinner date during the week.

 _Ping!_

He picked up his phone and saw that he had a new message.

 ** _From Ruka Nogi, 8:52pm._**

 _Get in loser, we're going to Love Divine._

* * *

She awkwardly ambled into the noisy bar and found her way over to Hī-sama writing notes down at the corner of the room. Misaki had dropped her off and drove back home to her small apartment in downtown Tokyo.

''Hello, Hī-sama,'' she greeted, rubbing her bare arms self-consciously.

''Mikan!'' she gasped, ''You look wonderful.''

She had to admit, Misaki did a really good job in giving her a makeover. Misaki had given her a strapless white bardot dress, pearl earrings, and red heels to match. Her hair was still in her trademark pigtails (Misaki called them 'cute') and she sported lilac eyeshadow, fake eyelashes, and crimson lips.

Whilst she looked calm and steady on the outside, her insides were churning and knotting themselves in a painfully intolerable fashion.

''You will be on table six tonight,'' Hī-sama said as she handed Mikan a bottle opener and a wristband. ''This wristband is just to show that you work here,'' she said and pointed to the far corner of the bustling room. ''There's table six. Anna and Yura are already there with a few clients, just go up and introduce yourself.''

Mikan nodded and slipped the red band on her skinny wrist with ease. Gathering all the courage she could, she trembled slightly as she walked over to the far-back table with as much confidence as she could. From the outer corners of her eyes, she could feel the gaze of numerous men eyeing her up as she walked past, even hearing the occasional ''Is she new?'' and ''They keep the cute ones coming.''

Finally, after what seemed like a five-mile walk, she approached the medium-sized table and smiled.

''Hello, I'm Sakura. The new hostess.''

''Ah, you're here!'' an excited (and slightly tipsy) pink-haired girl exclaimed and scooted over to one side to make room for the new addition to the table. ''Hi-sama was talking about you. I'm Anna.''

Mikan smiled and sat down. The three clients that were sitting opposite her appeared to be around 40-years-old and wore business suits. They smiled at her with goofy drunken faces and grabbed another bottle of champagne.

''A toast, to the new girl!'' one of them called excitedly as he grabbed a bottle opener from the middle of the table.

''Hi, I'm Yura,'' the girl with grey-brown hair called from the other side of Anna, who was currently laughing as she allowed them to fill her cup to the brim with the golden liquid.

''Hi, I'm-'' Mikan started but was startled by someone shoving a glass filled with champagne into her hand.

''Haha, don't worry,'' Yura giggled, ''you get used to it.''

Mikan nodded and obediently copied everyone else in downing the fizzy concoction. It burned her throat - proabably a result of never drinking much - and settled uneasily in her stomach.

''So, Sakura-chan, what are your hobbies?'' the man directly opposite her asked.

Mikan blinked and stuttered for an answer. ''Uh...uh...''

''Lie,'' Anna whispered in her ear, ''they don't actually care if you're being honest. They just want you to talk to them.''

 _Oh, okay._

She paused for a moment and said the first thing that came directly into her head.

''I love watching anime.''

 _God dammit, Mikan! Way to go. Now you sound about twelve._

Mikan instantly regretted her answer and she heard everyone around her laugh in surprise.

''Oh, no,'' Mikan hastily added, ''what I meant was, uh...I-''

''That's so cute,'' a second man interjected.

''Yeah, I love anime, too,'' a third chimed. ''I love my Sailor Moon!''

Mikan turned to Anna and Yura and found that they were looking straight back at her with amusement.

''Don't fret, Sakura, You're doing fine.''

She nodded and turned back to the table, raising her glass for another round of drinks.

* * *

Natsume clicked his tongue in distaste when Ruka drove up outside a small dingy-looking building with a hideous neon sign saying 'Love Divine' stuck to the front of it. By the looks of the groups of old men walking in, they'd be the youngest in that place by about twenty years.

''I can't believe you're making me go in,'' he hissed when Ruka unbuckled his seatbelt.

''We're only going in to ask for Nobara's details then we're leaving.''

Natsume had no choice but to follow Ruka out of the car and into the dodgy building.

''Hello, gentlemen,'' the girl at the door said when they approached the entrance. From the looks of it, she was surprised that two attractive young men were spending their Sunday night at a place like this. She eyed Natsume up and down with a suggestive grin and he smirked back, chuckling because she thought she had a chance.

''I'm Miruku,'' she purred. Ruka coughed uneasily and pulled out his wallet.

''Just the two of us, thankyou.''

''Alright, that'd be ten-thousand yen, please.''

Ruka quickly handed over the money and retreated into the darkness behind the double doors, thankful that he was now out of Miruku's lustful gaze. Natsume took his time walking into the venue and even smirked at Miruku, earning him a flutter of her eyelashes and a bite of her lip.

 _Disgusting._

He tore his gaze from her and pushed open the double doors. An immediate scent of alcohol mixed with flowery perfume hit his nose.

The room was noisy and filled with masses of women and men sitting together at tables with at least ten bottles of alcohol littered on and around them.

''How many hostesses would you like, gentlemen?'' a petite girl asked as she held a notebook with photos of various girls in her hand.

''Oh,'' Ruka said politely, ''I'm actually friends with a girl who works here and I heard she was involved in an accident today. I don't have her contact details and I was wondering if I could speak to whoever's in charge here?''

''Um...'' the girl began in uncertainty, ''...okay, I'll see what I can do. Please wait here.'' She bowed and turned on her heels.

''Ruka, you do realise we probably look like two stalkers stalking a girl who works here right now,'' Natsume muttered as she turned himself away from the masses of the people and instead, opted to gaze at the front entrance.

''Behave, Natsume. My mum is terribly worried about her, so I think this would put her mind at ease.''

Natsume rolled his eyes and continued staring at the two metal doors, trying to block out the sounds around him.

''Oh my gosh, he is cute!''

''Isn't he just?''

''Blondie is quite handsome, too, don't you think?''

''I wonder why they've not requested any hostesses and are just standing there?''

''I hope he chooses me!"'

He sighed massage the bridge of his nose.

''Here is our boss, gentlemen.''

Natsume and Ruka turned to an old but very elegant woman in a wine red kimono looking expectantly at them, a pen behind her ear.

''Good evening,'' she greeted with a suspicious grin.

''Good evening, it's Ruka from the animal centre,'' Ruka said excitedly as he shook her hand. Realisation dawned upon her face and she broke into a big smile and covered her other hand over his.

''Oh, of course, it's Ruka! Thankyou for saving my dear Mr. Fluffpuff, I am so grateful to you!''

''No problem at all,'' he laughed sheepishly, ''it was my pleasure. The poor little fella was in so much pain.''

''Yes, but he is completely fine now thanks to you. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask me.''

''Ah, that's why I am here,'' Ruka explained politely.

''Oh? And how can I help, child?''

''It's about Nobara,'' Ruka said andher eyes widened momentarily. ''I heard from my mother that she was involved in an accident today, and I was wondering if you could tell mer her whereabouts so I can go visit her. She's a family friend of mine and I think I can put my mother at ease if I visit her myself.''

''I see,'' Hī-sama muttered. ''Very well, let's go to the back where it's more quiet and secluded.''

Ruka and Natsume followed the old woman to a small table that was hidden behind some curtains in the corner of the venue. She sat down and plucked the pen from behind her ear and opened her notepad, turning to a clean page.

''I can write down the details of where she is staying on this piece of paper for you,'' she elucidated, ''is that alright?''

''Yes, yes, that's fine,'' Ruka responded eagerly.

''And,'' she began when she started writing elegantly on the paper, ''are you close to Nobara? She's a terribly shy one, she is.''

''We were family friends from a young age, and-''

 _Ring Ring._

All three heads turned towards Natsume's phone, which was placed on top of the table and currently vibrating with an incoming call.

''Excuse me,'' he briskly uttered and grabbed the shaking device. Part of him was relieved that he would be excused from the deathly awkward conversation, but part of him was also dreading whoever was on the other end of the phone: either an angry father Hyuuga, or a clingy, whining Sumire Shouda.

''Toilets are just to your left, dear,'' Hī-sama called out when Natsume stood up to leave. He nodded and walked according to her directions. Trying but failing to avoid catching the attention of anyone, a few girls waved at him and beckoned him over. He sped up his walking and soon came to an empty carpeted hallway that was surprisingly quiet compared to the noise just a wall away.

He leaned against the wall and looked at the incoming caller ID.

* * *

After eight rounds of drinking expensive champagne, Mikan was ready to fall asleep.

''Are you alright, Sakura?'' Yura whispered behind the back of a very loud and tipsy Anna. Mikan figured that Yura was a heavyweight and was amazed that she was so sober after so much drinking. ''Your cheeks are a bit red, Sakura-chan.''

Whilst Mikan wasn't off-her-head intoxicated like Anna was bordering on, she could feel the heat in her cheeks and excessively warm blood running through her veins.

''I think I want to go to the bathroom,'' she declared and detangled herself from Anna's arm that was latched onto her leg.

''Where are you going, Sakura-chan?'' Anna pouted and gripped Mikan's arm.

''Yeah, where are you going, Sakura-san?'' a red-faced man laughed with glee.

''Just going to the restroom, won't be a minute,'' she awkwardly replied as she peeled Anna's arm off by her mannicured nails. Watching where she walked carefully, she crossed the short distance from her table to the corridor with 'TOILETS' blaring above it. She fumbled her way through the bad lighting and pushed open the door with the female sign on it.

Stumbling into the bright room, she found herself looking at her reflection in the huge mirror on the wall.

''You look nice tonight,'' a high-pitched voice commented from behind her. Mikan swiveled round and found another girl, also sporting a red wrist band, leaning on the wall filing her nails.

''Oh, thankyou,'' Mikan chirped cheerfully, somewhat embarrassed but also flattered at such an attractive girl complimenting _her,_ Sakura 'I still wear my hair in pigtails' Mikan.

''You finished your shift?'' she continued on whilst filing her perfectly square nails. Mikan looked at her own short, chipped and badly painted nails and made a note to herself to treat her nails when this whole debt was paid off.

Ugh, she suddenly remembered her debt again.

''No, not yet. I have another hour.''

The other girl nodded and resumed to filing her nails. Mikan looked in the mirror and saw that her makeup, false eyelashes and lipstik had stayed put all night.

 _Note to self: ask Misaki where she got all this awesome makeup from._

Happy with her appearance and hair from the reflection of the bathroom mirror, Mikan nodded at nail-file-girl and opened the bathroom door once again.

* * *

 ** _Incoming call: Aoi._**

He smiled and relaxed tremendously upon seeing his little sister's name appear on his screen.

''Hello, Aoi?''

''Hello, onii-chan?'' the female voice sniffled.

Worry immediately ran through his veins as Aoi started hiccuping and shivering. ''Aoi, what's wrong? Where are you?''

''My boyfriend and I had a fight and...and now, I'm lost...and it's raining...'' she started crying into the phone.

Natsume swore and started panicking. It wasn't raining in this part of Tokyo - where the hell was she?

''I'll be on my way to pick you up, where are you?''

''Natsume? Oi, Hyuuga,'' Ruka's voice called from somewhere the distance. ''We need to go.''

''Um...'' Aoi stuttered.

''Aoi?''

''I...I think I'm in that place we went to for my fifteenth last year.''

''What? That's almost twenty miles away, Aoi!''

''I'm sorry, I'm sorry!'' she cried even harder and Natsume composed himself and tried not to go ape down the phone about that stupid boyfriend of hers.

''Stay where you are and don't move.''

He suspired loudly and put his phone back in his pockets. He turned around and tried not to think about murdering Aoi's idiotic boyfriend. How the hell dare he-

He stopped as he came face to face with a caramel brunette sporting pigtails in a devastatingly appealing dress.

* * *

 _God, I'm so tired..._ Mikan thought as she placed her hand over her mouth to stifle a yawn. It'd been a long day, and she needed to be at work tomorrow at 8 in the morning.

''Aoi, what's wrong? Where are you?''

Oh? She definitely recognised that voice for sure.

''I'll be on my way to pick you up, where are you?''

It was awfully familiar...

''Natsume? Oi, Hyuuga,'' someone called out. ''We need to go.''

Hand still over her mouth, she raised her eyes at the back of a figure in front of her and let out an inaudible gasp. Her hand fell from her mouth and smudged the crimson red right across her mouth.

 _No wonder 'Natsume Hyuuga' sounded so familiar._

Natsume. Natsume Hyuuga.

Stood right in front of her was Natsume Hyuuga, her former classmate from high school. Sure, he'd only been at her school for one month because he transferred with his blonde friend (Ruka, she believed his name was), then transferred again but, holy cow, how could she forget? He was violently popular and was infamous for being cold and rude. She specifically recalled a time when he called her an idiot in front of the whole class and she cried all the way home from embarrassment.

 _''Mikan, dear, why are your eyes red? Have you been crying?''_

 _''N-no, grandfather! I just...uh...ran into a lamppost on the way home.''_

''Aoi?'' he called down the phone.

Mikan blinked and widened her eyes. Was he was on the phone to his girlfriend, Aoi? If he was, then what Misaki said was true. How could he sleep with Nobara whilst he had a girlfriend? Suddenly, her memories of Natsume being cold-hearted and rude to everyone corresponded very well to his cheating persona.

''What? That's like twenty miles away, Aoi!''

 _He's abusive too?_ Mikan thought. Suddenly an image of a crying girl on the phone wanting to go on a date out of town appeared in her head.

''Stay where you are and don't move,'' he snapped and shoved his phone back in his pockets.

 _What a rude, horrible, selfish-_

He turned round and their eyes immediately met.

Oh _God_.

She stared at his glare and wished that she went back into the bathroom whilst his back was still turned.

 _Oh God, oh god, oh god. Why is he just staring at me? Does he remember me? I hardly spoke to him._

He, clad in a black shirt and fitting trousers, was as perniciously gorgeous as she remembered (althought she would never admit it out loud). His red eyes pierced into her own and suddenly, she understood what all the fuss during high school was about. Recollections of girls in her class swooning over his good looks and death glares all made sense now.

Her breathing became uneven when she realised he was staring at her mouth.

Was he...trying to hit on her?

Her knees almost buckled when he tore his gaze from her and walked back to the bar, but his next words made her wish the ground had swallowed her up.

''Sakura Mikan.''

* * *

She was gawking at him with an unreadable expression. He raised a brow ever so slightly at the smudge of lipstick tainting her skin at her vermilion border - it was sort of fitting with her clueless expression, and he thought that she looked like the girls he used to have in his dorm at university - lipstick smudged across their faces from making out and bearing shocked expressions when he told them to leave. She was looking at him like he not only told her to leave, but also told her he murdered her entire family, too. Whilst he was used to women staring and gasping at him wherever he went, she was staring at him in a completely indecipherable manner.

He quickly looked over her small figure and noted she was quite an attractive young thing, standing just under five-foot-four against his six-foot stature. Her gaze was rather perplexing - not only because her expression was cataclymsically impalpable, but because he felt an irksome familiarity in those childishly round honey orbs.

Was she one of the women he'd slept with? She sported a red wrist band, clarifying that she worked here. He wouldn't sleep with someone who worked at a hostess bar, nor a woman who still wore pigtails in her hair.

 _Oh?_ he suddenly thought.

Brown pigtails...round honey-coloured eyes...

Could this be...

...the same brainless girl who was in his class during high school?

 _It would make sense that she'd work here..._ he thought as he eyed her red wristband. He vividly remembered her friend Hotaru or something scream at her, demanding how someone could get a 12% on their exam.

The girl was beginning to back away into the bathroom door and Natsume smirked at her when the hinges started to open. He started walking back to Ruka, but made sure to look ahead as he passed her.

''Sakura Mikan.''

* * *

She froze upon the sound of the heavenly baritone hitting her ears.

Holy shit, he recognised her.

She considered her options of either staying silent or running back into the restrooms, but she let out a huff instead. She was Sakura Mikan and she never backed down. Especially against rude and devastatingly handsome men (minus the latter part).

She puffed her chest out and glared at his retreating back. Two could play at that game.

''Natsume Hyuuga.''

When he stopped and slightly turned his head, still not quite looking at her, it appeared that he fought back a look of surprise and opted for a sinister smirk instead.

''I'm surprised that your small brain remembers me,'' he commented.

She didn't know whether it was the alcohol, the way he betrayed Nobara, or simply because he was just downright egotistical, but Sakura Mikan felt something inside her snap. A snap so violent it left a loud, monotnous ringing noise and, as she glared at him, the ringing in her ears grew louder. She wasn't going to let a graceless man like this bully her or her friends.

''You know,'' she stated matter-of-factly, ''your head is so far up your own arse, I'm surprised you're not a world-class contortionist, Natsume- _kun._ ''

She swore she heard him let out a stifled choke.

 _That's what you get for hurting Nobara, stupid._

Whilst his glare deepened dangerously, her grin just grew bigger. ''Also, try going for girls that aren't out of your league.''

 _And that's what you get for saying I had a small brain!_

Perhaps it _was_ the alcohol getting to her, for she felt light-headed and woozy. She giggled and waved at him. ''See ya!'' And with that, she flung herself into the bathroom and exhaled a breath of air. Her apparent burst into the room gave nail-file girl the shock of her life.

''A-are you alright?'' nail-file girl asked, picking up the item she dropped only moments ago.

''Uh...'' Mikan gasped and clutched the sink for support. ''Yeah, just, um, just...ran into someone I know,'' she replied. Hey, it wasn't a lie.

''Ah, I wouldn't worry. You're probably never going to see them again.''

Mikan nodded. She looked into the mirror and wiped the smudged red with her thumb.

''Yeah, you're probably right.''

* * *

Natsume just stared at the swinging door, unsure of what just happened.

''Are you ready to go?'' Ruka appeared from the hallway. ''I've got the hospital address,'' he waved a piece of paper in the air.

''I-I can't.'' Natsume managed half-heartedly, still distracted by the girl from only moments before.

''What?''

''I...can't,'' he repeated, still somewhat dazed.

''Are you okay, Natsume?''

''Yeah, uh, I'm getting a taxi to pick up Aoi. Her stupid rat of a boyfriend left her in the middle of nowhere.''

''Oh, I see...that's fine, you go do that. I'll visit Nobara myself.''

Natsume nodded walked off, much to the dismay of the girls in the room.

 _''Try going for girls that aren't out of your league.''_

Who exactly was Sakura Mikan, and what was her problem?

 _ **x**_

* * *

 **A/N: If there *are* any plotholes (praying that there's none), feel free to point it out and I will cover it up with something, hehe. If there are any questions need answering, also do not hesitate to ask and I will reply at the end of this document.**


	2. Bright Maroon

**A/N: Long-awaited update!**

 **P.S - there was one plot hole I had to get rid of - can anyone guess what it was?**

* * *

 ** _Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice._**

* * *

 ** _Vermilion Border_**

\- Chapter 2 -

 **x**

* * *

Sakura Mikan awoke with less grace than usual - which was a feat in itself, considering she usually began her mornings nothing short of slob-like.

"Ugh..." she groaned when the faint smell of booze hit her. She squeezed her eyes shut and placed a hand on her aching forehead.

Wait, _alcohol?_

"What the?" she began to panic when she detected the remnants of what tasted like champagne in her mouth.

Champagne?

She sat upright and widened her eyes. Firstly, Sakura Mikan never drank. Secondly, Sakura Mikan never went anywhere that would require her to drink. Thirdly, Sakura Mikan never spent money on beer (let alone expensive champagne) and her pitfall of debt meant it was even more implausible that she'd go spend money on ridiculously-priced bottles of champagne.

 _WHAT! D-did someone drug me? Did I get drunk at a bar? What happened? I swear to God, if someone took advantage of an innocent girl like me-_

She suddenly caught gaze of her makeup-smeared face and flashy outfit staring back at her in the mirror.

She blinked a few times at her unusual reflection - almost wondering if some guy got her so drunk she couldn't even remember him buying nice clothes for her - before she groaned loudly and flopped back onto her pillow.

Ah, yes, how could she forget? She was a hostess now.

Whilst her mood slightly dampened upon realising that the coming mornings of the next month would be ridden with vague hangovers, nothing could break her spirits of happiness when she pictured the large paycheck bouncing gleefully into her suffering bank account.

She glanced at her clock and realised she still had over an hour to shower, dress, and eat before her job as a barista began at 8am. She paused for a moment and wondered whether she could call Misaki and ask whether she wanted to meet her at the bar tonight and give her clothes back to her, but then decided it was too early and that she should leave it until later.

She hopped out of bed and walked into the small bathroom in her tiny apartment. Peeling the tight dress off her body carefully (Mikan couldn't afford a designer dress bill on top of her debt), she clambered into the shower and managed as best she could to rinse out the smell of alcohol from her skin and hair.

 _Last night was alright, I guess._

Picturing the memory of drinking with the other hostesses, a little smile came to her lips. The girls were friendly, welcoming, and pretty cute, too. It was a very relaxed job in which she wasn't constantly on her feet like her barista and waitressing jobs, which meant that despite working late hours, she didn't really have to do much.

She climbed out of the shower after a few minutes of rinsing and picked up the folded dress from the bathroom counter and placed it into the washing machine.

She quickly ran to her bedroom once again and pulled out her standard barista uniform of black pants, a black shirt, and some black shoes.

 _Ring ring! Ring ring!_

Glancing round with a shoe in her hand, she couldn't pinpoint where her phone was.

 _Ring Ring!_

''Ugh,'' she sighed as the rings grew sharper, ''where the hell is my phone?''

Rummaging through the onslaught of clothes on her bed and bags scattered around her room, she belly-flopped onto the matress and poked her head over the side to search underneath her bed.

''Aha! There you are!'' she sighed in relief when she saw her little Nokia (yes, she had a brick Nokia) phone blaring back at her. Grabbing it and flipping it open, she tumbled back onto her backside and breathed into the phone breathlessly. ''Hello?''

''What took you so long to answer and why are you breathless, baka?''

Mikan rolled her eyes. ''Good morning to you too, best friend. I couldn't find my phone.''

''Typical,'' she heard Hotaru mumble down the line and envisioned a Hotaru-eyeroll to accompany it.

''So, what's up?''

''Just telling you that I'm going to be at the cafe in about two hours for the meeting.''

''Okay, got it.''

''So don't try to make conversation with us since it's an important meeting. You will embarrass me.''

This time, it was Mikan's turn to roll her eyes at her best friend's behaviour. ''Okay, okay, Imai-sama, I understand. Is that all?''

''Yes. See you then.''

Mikan giggled and flipped her phone shut, giddy at the thought of seeing Hotaru in her shift today. Albeit the cafe staff being quite nice to her and the workload being relatively manageable, having Hotaru's presence in the room would make her shift go a whole lot quicker.

Quickly scrambling to her feet, she padded into the kitchen and grabbed a tin of tomato soup from the cupboard.

''Let's see...'' she murmured when she put the soup into a bowl and placed it into a microwave. ''I will earn 8000 yen today at the cafe, then 3000 yen at the resturant, then 30,000 yen at the hostess bar. That means...'' she calculated slowly in her head when she removed the bowl from the microwave and set it down onto the table, ''that means...I will earn 41,000 yen today.''

She childishly grinned to herself and dug into her soup happily.

 _That means keep this up for just over a week, Mikan, and you're clear of the monthly minimum mark!_

She squealed and hastily finished her soup in a few rapid spoonfuls. Placing the bowl in the sink, she shrugged on her coat and scarf and made a dash for it out the door.

The air outside was cold, and she gripped her scarf tighter to her small body. She didn't mind the cold much - it gave her an excuse to wear cute winter clothes.

''Ah, so pink and pretty...'' she giggled as she stared down at the mass of bubblegum pink beneath her chin. ''I can buy other cute colours soon!''

She wandered through the small street of shops, following her usual journey to the bus stop for work, albeit at a much slower pace than she was used to as she was too busy fawning over all the cute items in shop windows now that she knew she'd have some money left over to treat herself.

 _Gone are the days where I can't buy chocolate!_ she giggled as she walked up to the window of a chocolate shop and peered inside at the pristine truffles.

 _Did somebody say 'frilly dress'?_ she peered into the boutique and gasped at the long lines of intricate dresses.

 _And helllllooooo Howalons!_

She pressed her hand up against the howalon store, eyes glued to the small box of expensive howalons. The only time she'd had them was when Hotaru bought them for her birthday the year before, but they were too expensive - just a small box alone cost 100,000 yen.

''Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves...'' she muttered dejectedly to herself as she tore her gaze from the creamy sweets. One day, Sakura Mikan would be able to buy as much howalon as she pleased - but today was not that day, and she bet that that day would probably never come.

She shrugged sadly, trying to rid of the image of her jumping in a big bowl of howalons, and then suddenly remembered an advantage she had at her waitressing job - her manager let her take home one piece of food (if there were any leftover) home with her after work.

''Ah! Maybe I can take home a piece of cake today to make myself feel better,'' she giggled and glanced at her wristwatch to see how much time she had left before her shift started.

She blinked at the hands on the face for a few moments before gasping and almost immediately breaking into a sprint - much to the surprise of passersby..

''Holy crap! I'm so late!''

She ran and ran and ran, almost tripping over when she lost her footing on the pavement and bumping into the odd child here and there, and eventually made it to the bus stop which, thankfully, still had her bus waiting patiently there.

''Ah, excuse me,'' she huffed as she made her way past the long line of people waiting to catch a different bus. ''Sorry, I-''

She found herself bumping into an old man a little _too_ hard and caused him to drop his newspaper to the floor.

''Oh!'' she gasped and quickly looked at the old man. ''Are you alright? I'm sorry!''

''It's okay, child,'' he said with a wave of his hand.

''Here, I'll pick it up for you.''

Mikan bent down and quickly retrieved the fallen item.

''Here you go!'' she smiled as she reached her arm out. As she passed it over, she caught sight of the front page and found her eyes glued to the headline.

 _HYUUGA SCANDAL? DAUGHTER OF SHODA ARTWORKS HEARTBROKEN._

Accompanying the headline was a photo of a young man which red eyes and a menacing glare. Mikan couldn't help shuddering in fright. But there was something strange about that man...

''Miss, are you alright? The bus is leaving soon,'' the old man pointed behind her.

She gasped and turned around to find the last customer paying their bus fare, the driver's hand poised on the button to shut the doors.

''Oh, uh, thank you,'' she quickly said and spun around, hopping onto the bus just moments before the doors shut. She quickly held out her bus pass and made her way over to an empty seat, mind filled with thoughts of chocolate, cakes, and truck-loads of howalons.

* * *

He sighed a pressed a hand to his nose bridge.

"So you're telling me that you had an argument with Ando over what film you were going to see, and then you ran away in anger?"

Aoi sniffled. "Yes."

"And the bruises on your arms are from when you fell over on the way out?"

"Yes."

Natsume Hyuuga sighed and rolled his eyes in frustration. "What the hell were you thinking, Aoi? Running away like that and hurting yourself?"

"I-I..." she cried into her pyjama sleeve, "I'm sorry!"

It was barely seven in the morning when an annoyed Natsume Hyuuga demanded a meeting with his little sister, whom he had rescued from the freezing cold on the outskirts of Tokyo last night sporting multiple bruises on her arms, downstairs in the living room. At first she had obediently followed, but burst into tears when she saw the anger in his face.

"Aoi. This is the third time this month I've had to pick you up after your fights with your boyfriend."

"I know," she murmured quietly.

"They are the most pointless arguments. The first time, you ran away because he took you to a restaurant you didn't like. The second time, it was because he refused to buy you more cake. Now this? This is getting ridiculous, Aoi."

"Look," she mumbled, "I-I...I just...just have a bad temper, okay? I don't mean to trouble you but..."

Natsume took one look at his crying sister and released a pent-up sigh. Placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, he rubbed her neck and wiped a tear from her eye.

"Just promise me you'll sort your temper out. I can't keep picking you up like this."

"I-I will..."

"Good."

She nodded eagerly and grabbed the box of tissues from the nearby table.

Natsume watched as his little sister bowed and proceeded to bound up the stairs hastily, little sniffles disappearing with the beat of her footsteps. He had been worried sick last night as he waited anxiously in the taxi, but since Aoi had been repeatedly calling him in these sort of situations, he had let his mind wander onto other matters.

Such as when he was next going to a bar to pick up a random woman.

The ringing of his phone interrupted him from his thoughts. He grabbed the ringing device from the table top and flipped it open immediately, expecting Ruka to be calling about the business meeting they had later on that morning.

''Natsume Hyuuga speaking.''

''Natsume!'' the voice shouted from the other end of the phone.

Natsume took a deep breath in and exhaled. ''Hello, father.''

''Natsume! What the hell have you done?''

He blanked for a few moments, wondering what the hell his dad was on about, before clearing his throat and sliding back into the sofa. ''I don't know what you're talking about.''

''It's all over the headlines! Shoda's daughter said you two have been secretly dating for the last two years and you broke up with her. Is this true, Natsume?''

Natsume almost spluttered in shock and had to refrain himself from swearing out loud on the phone to his dad.

Where the hell had Sumire got that story from?

'' _What?_ ''

Natsume knew Sumire was a little insane, but he had no idea the lengths she would go to just to get his attention.

''This is ruining the Hyuuga name. I will not tolerate this kind of behaviour!''

''It-It's not true,'' Natsume spat into the phone, disgusted at the thought of him entering any sort of relationship with Shoda's spoilt daughter, ''She's crazy.''

''Crazy or not, you need to fix this.''

Natsume exhaled angrily. ''I don't want anything to do with that insane, annoying, ugly-''

''Natsume,'' his father called sternly down the phone. ''I've already invited Tsubasa over from Osaka to visit the company today. We need an agreement with Shoda Artworks and, by the looks of things now, it seems highly unlikely that you will sort things out. Tsubasa has links to the Sugimura Textiles Company over in Osaka, and I may well give the company to him if you are unable to reach an agreement with the Shodas.''

And with that, the line went dead, leaving Natsume Hyuuga almost at his breaking point.

"Ugh..." he frowned. "Could this day get any shittier..."

Apparently, yes.

 _Knock knock knock!_

"Yoohoo~! Natsume! It's Ruka, let me in!"

Ah, of course - how could he forget.

Natsume heaved himself off the sofa and took his time ambling slowly towards the door (which presented a murky and somewhat terrifyingly happy Ruka behind the stained glass) and opened it with a big death stare.

"Why, Natsume, don't you look happy to see your best friend," the blonde man chuckled with a grin.

Natsume glared down at his friend's smart business suit then wearily eyed his own ensemble - a navy blue dressing gown and brown slippers.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with a certain headline, would it?" Ruka raised a brow and held back a smirk.

"Shut up," Natsume seethed and walked backwards to let Ruka into the hallway.

"I mean, I knew Sumire always had a thing for you - the way she was staring at you at that work party last year we terrifying. Not to mention that other time when she licked your-"

"Enough!" Natsume hissed and abruptly walked into the kitchen to fix himself a drink.

"Fine, fine," Ruka teased, but then dropped his voice to a more serious tone. "But honestly, I can't believe she made up a story this crazy. I just...can't believe she did it."

''Fucking hell,'' he swore under his breath. He was not in the mood to leave the house today, let alone go to a business meeting with Ruka.

''Don't worry, the story will die down in a few days. You know what the media is like. Now, get ready because we are leaving in 5 minutes.''

Natsume remained silent and rooted to the spot.

''If you don't hurry up, I'll call Sumire and-''

''Fine. I'm going.''

Ruka smiled. ''I'll wait in the car.''

* * *

The cafe was fairly quiet that particular morning, which let Mikan have a deep contemplation session over what she was going to wear tonight.

She didn't own many clothes in the first place, let alone own skimpy dresses, mini-skirts, make-up, stilettos, and all that nonsense. No, what she owned was pretty much kiddish clothing with depictions of smiling animals on them. The closest thing she even had to what she borrowed last night from Misaki was a dress a friend of hers from uni had left at her place by accident and then never went back to collect (Mikan didn't blame her, it was pretty hideous) - a pink knee-length dress that was made out of some weird tweed fabric.

Well, it would have to do. She didn't have to money to go splurging on new clothes just quite yet, although she could probably think about it when her monthly minimum would be paid off in a week or so.

She was still stuck in her daydream when the rustle of someone's coat caught her attention.

''Oh, uh, hello!" she quickly said when she saw a young man in a long brown coat approach the counter. "What can I get you?"

"A caramel latte to go, please."

Mikan couldn't help but to stare at the man in front of her. He looked young, probably only a few years older than her, but he was kind of cute and, from the look of his cashmere coat-gloves-scarf ensemble, he appeared to be pretty rich. She lowered her gaze to his wallet that was perched upon the counter.

 _Louis Vuitton..._

''Miss, are you alright?''

Mikan blinked in confusion and glanced up slowly at the male voice.

 _Oh great, he probably thinks I'm a psycho now._

 _"_ Ah, um _, yes!_ Yes _._ Caramel latte, right?"

He flashed her a small smile in return. "That's right, miss."

She quickly nodded and moved over towards the coffee equipment at the side of the counter. Methodically pressing the right buttons and pulling the right levers, she grabbed a cup and filled it to the brim with the warm liquid.

Pressing the plastic lid in place, she turned to give it to the cute boy.

"Here you-"

It appeared that she had not securely put the lid in place, for a small wave of brown liquid toppled out and straight onto the man's cashmere sleeve.

She gasped and stared wide-eyed at the damage.

 _Oh,_ **FUCK.**

She began to breathe unevenly as it dawned at her that he could well and truly sue every penny (what she had, anyway) out of her if he wanted to.

''Look, I'm so sorry,'' she blurted out, ''I really, really-''

''Relax, relax, it's fine,'' he chuckled, grabbing a tissue and wiping the droplets off the wool. ''Don't worry about it.''

Mikan was at a loss for words by his extreme nonchalance.

''R-really?''

''Yep. Oh, and thanks for the latte," he paused to glance down at her name tag, "Mikan-chan."

Mikan stood dazed as he walked off, his silhouette endlessly elegant against those he walked amongst in the cafe.

"There goes an impossibly cute and polite guy I'll never see again," she muttered as she wiped the drops of the latte she had previously spilt from the counter. She wanted to grimace at the thought of his sleeve stained with ugly brown droplets, but instead smiled when she remembered how he acknowledged her name.

Slight hangover aside, nothing could break Mikan's happy mood - she didn't get fired from her job, a cute boy said her name, and her best friend was about to come into the cafe at any moment.

''I wonder when Hotaru is going to come...'' she mumbled as she cradled her chin in her hand on the coffee counter.

The door of the cafe suddenly chimed open and a blur of navy hair filled the entrance.

Mikan gasped in delight when she saw her best friend's familiar stoic expression come into view.

"HOTA-"

 _''Don't try to make conversation with us. You'll embarrass me.''_

Mikan figured screaming at Hotaru wasn't really the best way to start her meeting. She craned her neck over to get a better look at Hotaru's business clients.

Behind Hotaru were two men clad in business suits and ties. One with honey blonde hair with an innocent expression, the other was blocked by the door.

Mikan creased her brow. She subtly pressed herself forwards onto the counter to better listen to their conversation.

''So, Nogi-san, this is the café I was talking about.''

Mikan swelled with pride upon the blonde man looking round and nodding at the vintage decor and leather sofas.

''It reminds me of the cafés in France,'' he replied with a small smile.

''Ah, yes. Your mother is French if I remember correctly, isn't she, Nogi-san?''

''Yes, she is. Well remembered, Hotaru-san.''

Mikan raised a brow as Ruka and Hotaru smiled at each other, completely oblivious to the third party standing just next to them.

''Hotaru seems to be awfully friendly with that blonde man...'' Mikan chuckled to herself. Picking up a cloth, she started wiping the counter. When she looked up again, she saw that this time Hotaru was beginning to walk over towards her whilst the other two members of the party set down their bags at a nearby table.

Upon approaching, Hotaru gave Mikan a small smile. ''Hi.''

''Hotaru!'' Mikan chirped. ''You seemed awfully friendly with that blonde man.''

''Oh, Ruka?''

Mikan giggled. ''Ru~ka.''

''Well, yes. Don't you remember him? Ruka from high school.''

''High school?''

''Yes,'' Hotaru said slowly, ''from high school. He transferred over for a bit.''

Mikan thought for a moment.

''And he's also here with Na-''

''Ah, Ruka!'' Mikan suddenly said. ''I remember! Of course, the blonde boy!''

Hotaru sighed at her friend's cheerfulness. ''Yes.''

''Anyways,'' Mikan said, calming down, ''what can I get you?''

''Two cappuccinos and one dark coffee.''

''How dark would you like it?'' Mikan asked, pushing some buttons into the cash register.

Hotaru thought for a moment before replying, ''As dark as possible.''

Mikan raised an eyebrow and nodded. ''Alright.''

Hotaru handed over a note and put her purse back into her bag. ''Thanks.''

''I'll bring them over in a bit,'' Mikan said and began to ready the taps and equipment.

How coincidental that Hotaru would be consulting with a former high school partner! Mikan vaguely remembered that Ruka was an intelligent boy (although the fact that he had a crazy fanclub sort of overruled that memory) and she wasn't surprised he was now working in such a high-end job (I mean, anyone working with Hotaru should count themselves lucky).

Pouring the coffee in separate cups, Mikan carefully picked the tray up and squeezed her way past the counter and out into the sitting area.

Walking over to the table where Hotaru and Ruka were sitting, she froze - the third member of the party, whom she still had not seen up until now, was staring straight at her. Well, more like glaring at her as if he wanted to kill her.

The hairs on Mikan's arm instantaneously pricked up.

 _No. Fucking. Way._

''Mikan?'' Hotaru called.

Staring right back at her was a pair of ruby eyes and once again she was a shaking mass of teenage self-doubt. She thought she'd seen the last of him when he transferred away almost ten years ago.

''Oh, um...'' Mikan quickly said and continued walking forwards, albeit in a significantly more wobbly manner.

 _Oh, kami._

She finally approached the table and almost dropped the tray onto the table.

Even though it had been years since she last saw him, she still hated him. No one should have to start university with the idea that they only looked good from the left side because 'your right side is too fucking ugly' sort-of-thing.

''H-here you go,'' she mumbled, preparing to turn away.

''Hey, Mikan! Its been a while!''

She turned upon the smooth voice and found Ruka smiling at her, hand extended. She stared at it as if it was a foreign object and slowly shook it.

''You remember me, right? And Natsume, too?'' he motioned towards his left.

Natsume. Of course. Natsume-fucking-Hyuuga - the sole reason why she sometimes still cried about her nose.

She winced upon the name and forced a smile.

''S-sure.'' She turned to Natsume. ''Heyyy, Natsume.''

 _Play it cool. Play it cool. Pretend you don't still cry about him calling you ugly back in what, ninth grade?_

She saw his mouth begin to open.

''Did you have fun...last night?'' he asked with a devilish smirk.

 _...sorry, what?_

That was NOT what she'd been expecting.

Ruka and Hotaru creased their brows and turned to Mikan, who was equally as confused.

Last night? But...she was at the hostess bar last night, right? I mean, she couldn't remember much other than blurs of the entire evening, but she was definitely there.

But how come he knew this?

''I remember you suggesting I change my profession?'' he probed further, clearly amused at her confusion.

 _What the hell is this lunatic banging on about?_

She began to sweat under his glare and tried desperately to think of the night before.

 _Natsume..._

 _Changing profession..._

 _Hostess club..._

 _..._

 _Natsume...changing profession...hostess club..._

 _..._

 _Natsume changing profession hostess club..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _Was he at the club? Well, he must've been because he's saying we spoke. Surely I'd remember if we spoke?_

She nervously took a step forward and leaned down towards him, whispering ever so gently:

"Did I tell you to become a hostess?"

Natsume would've choked on his drink if he had been drinking it that very moment.

"What?" he hissed quietly. "No!"

"No?'' she frowned. ''Then maybe a lap dancer?"

''God, woman,'' he glared at her, ''no!''

"Ooh, then maybe a prostit-"

"Uh, are you two okay?" Ruka called from behind Mikan.

''Oh, yes!'' Mikan quickly chipped in upon seeing the concerned Ruka (and devilishly intruiged Hotaru) peering at them.

''You,'' Natsume grunted and yanked her arm down so she was facing him once more, ''told me to join the circus.''

Mikan raised a brow. ''The circus?''

''Yes.''

''O-okay...why the circus? Are you good at juggling?"

''That's where contortionists work, no?'' he taunted with an evil smirk.

 _Think, Mikan, think!_

She squeezed her eyes shut and forced herself to go through the events of last night - or at least what she could remember. She remembered drinking... someone appreciated her love for Sailor Moon...then vaguely something about a toilet conversation with someone...then she went to McDonald's at 5am to cry about her life! Oh, wait, no - that was last week.

She shook her head.

 _Okay, okay, so - drinking, toilet conversation, presumably something made me stay in the hallway of the toilet because the last thing I remember is talking to a guy and-_

It took no more than two seconds for sudden flashbacks of last night, post-drinking, to play themselves out in her head.

" _You know, your head is so far up your own arse, I'm surprised you're not a world-class contortionist, Natsume-_ kun _."_

Oh.

No, fucking, _way._

Was this some sort of _joke?_ Did someone set her up for this? If she was being pranked right now, then-

"Mikan?" she heard Hotaru call. ''Mikan.''

''Dude, what are you on about? Don't tell me you're involved with Mikan, too. You have enough trouble with women in the tabloids already.''

 _Oh my god._

She thought back to the newspaper at the bus stop.

 _Don't tell me this was the same Natsume from the papers this morning._

What was he, like, some celebrity or something?

Mikan snapped out of her thoughts and grabbed Hotaru's hand.

''Mikan, what-''

She pulled Hotaru away from the table (and away from Natsume's intimidating stare) and ruffled her fringe with her hands in frustration.

"What...what...'' she huffed as she tried to compose herself, ''what are _they_ doing here?" she hissed once again and pointed at the two men looking at them from the table on the corner.

''The business meeting that I told you about yesterday,'' Hotaru said slowly. ''Also, what did Natsume-''

"Are you out of your mind?!"

Hotaru raised a brow. "Excuse me?"

''Why did you bring them here! You _know_ I can't stand that man!''

"Mikan, if you're referring to Natsume bullying you then that was almost ten years ago."

"Why...why...why can't you move your meeting next door? They do really good sandwiches!"

Hotaru rolled her eyes. "This is business for _your_ shop, baka. That's the reason I chose this place."

"But, but," the brunette flailed her arms, torn between feeling blessed to be friends with Hotaru and wanting to scream at her for her stubbornness.

The latter won.

"You're with that stupid Natsume, though!"

"Yeah," Hotaru looked at Mikan as if she had lost it. "And Ruka, too. You remember Ruka, right?"

Mikan gaped at her. "But, Hotaru!" she whined, "You know I hate him!"

''Who, Ruka?''

''No!'' she glared at her friend and lowered her voice. '' _Natsume!'_ '

Hotaru rolled her eyes and slapped Mikan on the arm.

"Owwww! Hota-"

Hotaru folded her arms and smirked at her. ''Also, I want to know what he meant by 'last night'.''

Mikan's winging came to an abrupt stop and she studied her best friend's suggestive smile.

''Oh, _gross!_ It is NOT what you're thinking at all!''

Whilst Natsume was undeniably attractive (she recalled daydreaming about him back in high school when the had classes together but, hey, that's totally irrelevant), she would definitely NOT want to be linked to a man like him, especially after seeing his name on those scandals this morning.

''Oh yeah?'' Hotaru scoffed. ''Then what is it?''

"Ugh, it was more like bumping into his stupid ass in that hos-"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted it. She clasped a hand over her lips. She had told Hotaru _way_ too much.

Hotaru blinked. "In that what?"

Mikan froze. Hotaru _couldn't_ find out. If she knew, she would definitely lend her money that she couldn't pay back.

''Well?''

 _"_ Hos...hos...uh, hos..."

"Say 'hos' again and I will slap you across the face."

 _What begins with 'hos'? Hmmm...hospital? No, that's pronounced differently. Hostess? Oh, wait - that's what I can't tell her! Hos...hos...'hos' sounds like 'hoes', heheheheh-_

"Well?"

"We met...at a a hosing club!"

It was an answer neither was expecting - especially the latter. Mikan and Hotaru looked at each other, stunned.

"Hosing...club?" Hotaru asked with a perplexed expression. "You went to...a _hosing_ club?"

"Yeah. It's where, uh, you go learn about how to...hose your garden correctly."

Did she actually just tell Hotaru that she and her potential future business partner were avid members of the gardening scene in Tokyo?

"Oh, right," Hotaru replied. "Never expected Natsume to be that sort of guy."

Yes, she totally did.

"I didn't even know they had those," Hotaru continued.

Mikan slapped her forehead. "Funny, neither did I."

Hotaru then raised a brow elegantly. "I didn't know you were into gardening, considering you don't even have a garden."

 _Crap, Mikan!_

Mikan attempted a big smile but her lips ended up wobbling uneasily into a half-hearted curve. "I love the gardening channels on TV, you see. So, so much. I love my, uh, turnips, potatoes, cabbages and..." she motioned her hands in the air to think of something, "...grass."

Hotaru looked at Mikan with an awkward stare and pulled her purse out of her bag. "Whatever, I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure he doesn't mind. After all, gardening pals gotta stick together, right?"

"No, Hotaru!" Mikan hissed.

Mikan watched as her best friend walked off into the other side of the room and sit down with Ruka and Natsume, obviously apologizing for her erratic behaviour. Mikan used this time to study the man who had been mocking her only minutes before.

He looked just as good as he did last night in the dim lighting of the bar, only this time his noble features were in full view he exerted an impossibly professional aura. Mikan's expression softened and her movements stilled for a moment. He wore an expensive-looking business suit (which probably cost more than her entire wardrobe), held a perfectly poised facial expression, possessed _ridiculously_ good-looking-

 _Stop it, Mikan!_

His gaze averted to her general direction and she whipped round and walked stiffly to the counter, where her manager was looking at her with a perplex only thing stopping her from running out of the store screaming " _WHY ME_?" and never stepping foot back into Tokyo again was the fact she needed the dollar for her debt and...yeah, just the debt.

Ugh, stupid debt.

''Are you okay, Mikan? I saw you talking with Hotaru and you looked quite...animated.''

Her manager, a small and kind old man called Mr. Sasada, had become accquainted with Hotaru after her frequent visits to the café and even went out of his way to chat with the navy-haired woman.

Mikan took one look at him and put her face in her hands.

''Oh, Mr. Sasada! I-''

She wanted to pour her heart out to him and tell him _'Look, I am literally one inch away from killing myself in your shop right now,'_ but she couldn't.

''I-I'm fine,'' she smiled. ''Very happy. Very fine. Very okay.''

''Mikan, child,'' he said as he walked past her, a pen and some paper with scribbles on in his hands, ''it's okay to not be alright.''

And with that touch of sentimental kindness on her already-breaking heart, Mikan rushedly slapped her hand over her eyes and bit back the fresh slaughter of tears.

* * *

''Yo, Natsume - what the hell was that all about?'' Ruka asked immediately when the girls were out of earshot.

Natsume shrugged. ''I don't think you'd believe me if I told you.''

Ruka stared at him. ''What do you mean?''

He shrugged. ''It's not my place to tell.''

''Well...'' Ruka said slowly, intrigue laced in his expression, ''can you tell me anything at all?''

Natsume paused for a moment, deciding to choose his words carefully.

''This is unlike you, man.'' Ruka said with a raised brow.

''What is?''

''Why can't you just tell me? You never have problems telling me things about women.''

''I know.'' Natsume said.

''So why can't you tell me about Mikan?''

Natsume was pretty certain if he told Ruka, Ruka would then tell Hotaru (his future business partner), and the whole thing would kick off. He just didn't have the energy.

Natsume clicked his tongue. ''Like I said, it's not my place to tell.''

''You know,'' Ruka started, ''you treated Mikan like shit in high school.''

Natsume looked at him indifferently.

''You started picking on her because she tried making friends with you, right?''

''I picked on her because she was annoying.''

Ruka rolled his eyes. ''Yes, but you thought she was annoying _because_ she tried so hard to make friends with you, right?''

Natsume didn't say anything.

''You gave her so much shit, Natsume.''

''Good. She was annoying.''

'' _But,_ you'd also give shit to anyone else who tried to pick on her.''

Natsume raised a brow. ''Your point?''

Ruka chuckled. ''Oh, nothing. Just seemed to me that you were...protective?''

''Whatever.''

''And maybe you're still protecting her now?'' Ruka giggled and took a sip of his drink.

Natsume scowled at him and reached for his own drink, looking back at Hotaru and Mikan as he did so. Hotaru was turning away with an almost-laughing expression on her face whilst Mikan looked as though she was about to pass out. Her face was extremely white and her hands gripped the side of a table for support. It was very similar to the look she gave him last night.

''Sorry about Sakura,'' Hotaru said once she sat down. ''She's having an off-day.''

''It's alright, Imai-san. We all know what she was like in high school,'' Ruka laughed and began to take out his paperwork.

''She's not changed one bit,'' Hotaru rolled her eyes, adjusting her own blazer.

Natsume glanced ever so slightly at Mikan. The coffee shop was mostly empty and his eyes had to dart around for a few seconds before he could locate her small frame contrastly neatly against the white walls. She was half-hiding behind the counter, a hand over her eyes in effort to hide the fact that she was crying. Her teeth were digging into her bottom lip, almost ripping the skin as she tried not to tremble any further.

 _''She's not changed one bit.''_

Natsume watched for a few beats more before turning back to Hotaru and Ruka.

After all, it was none of his business.

* * *

Mikan watched as big-meanie-man (aka Natsume Hyuuga), Ruka, and her best friend quietly left the now-busy cafe, Hotaru giving her a nonchalant wave before exiting the building. Mikan glared at the back of Natsume's head and huffed.

''I hate him...'' she grumbled.

''What's that, Mikan?''

She turned to find Mr. Sasada peering at her in concern through a box of empty coffee cups.

''Yeah, I'm fine,'' she said. ''I think.''

''Who was that you said you hated, dear?''

She rolled her eyes. ''Just this stupid guy.''

''Ah,'' he smiled, walking off, ''a lover's quarrel?''

Her eyes widened in horror and she almost spat out the contents of her breakfast.

''No, wait, I-''

''You guys will make up soon,'' Mr. Sasada said with a wave and closed the door to his office, leaving Mikan stunned.

''I...'' she began, ''I...he means nothing to me!''

She grumbled some more about her woes of life, her stupid luck, and just how much Kami-sama hated her before she glanced at the clock and realised her shift was going to finish in one minute - 8pm, which would give her just under an hour before her shift at _Love Divine_ started.

She hurriedly took off her apron and hung it on the rack in the back of the shop. Quickly making her way to the stockroom (and almost falling over air like the klutz she was), she grabbed her things and shrugged her coat on. Normally, she'd say bye to Mr. Sasada, followed by a long cry about how her life 'was over before it even began', but she realised that if she wanted to look as good as she did last night, she'd have to at least sacrifice half an hour to do her makeup - and that's not including the time spent crying over why the fake eyelashes weren't sticking to her eyes.

''Oh, Mikan. Hi.''

Mikan looked up from buttoning her coat and found the girl from the next shift, Ami, smiling at her.

''Oh, hey, Ami. How are you?''

''Good thanks. You?''

''Fine. You look like you're in a rush to get to somewhere.''

''Oh, um...'' Mikan stopped frantically trying to button up her coat and laughed. ''I've...uh...got...''

''Oooh,'' Ami leaned in, ''you're not late for a date, are you?''

Mikan cocked a brow in confusion. ''A date? Oh, no.''

''Then where are you going?''

''I'm going to...''Mikan stopped herself. She almost let it slip out, again. ''Oh! I mean, yes! A date. I am going to a date. Heh.''

''Poor guy, is he really that unimportant?'' Ami giggled.

Mikan shook her head vehemently. ''No, no. I love...'' she looked around and spotted a logo on top of a coat. ''Kento-kun. Yes. I love him.''

''What?'' Ami questioned. ''Yesterday you said you were still single.''

 _Well done, Mikan. Once again you managed to make up a crazy lie that you'll have to keep up. You are so smart._

''I met him yesterday and now I love him.''

Ami took a step away from Mikan and nodded. ''Alright, then.''

''Well then, see ya!'' Mikan said and made a dash for the door.

''Have fun with...what's his name?'' Ami called.

''Uh, well, it's not important!'' Mikan replied uneasily.

''Oh, okay. Have fun!''

Mikan inwardly cringed at herself and exited the building, embarrassment washing over her as she crossed the road to get to the bus stop.

 _You are so stupid, Mikan. But that's not anything new._

She sat at the bus stop for a few minutes, watching the trees sway in the night breeze, before the bus pulled up and she eagerly got on. She plopped down at the back of the bus.

She was going to do her makeup as soon as she got in and-

''Wah...''

She slowly turned to the source of what sounded like crying and saw a young girl curled up in the seat near the window oppsite.

''Wah...''

''Are you okay?'' Mikan gently asked the girl.

The girl seemed to be a little surprised at Mikan's question and quickly wiped her tears.

''Y-yes.''

Mikan scuttled closer, her motherly instincts taking over. She was wearing nice clothes (designer, Mikan figured) and carried a Louis Vuitton bag.

What on earth was a young girl like this doing here on a bus crying?

''Where are you going now?'' Mikan asked once again, her stone still gentle.

''I-I don't know. I can't go home right now because Onii-san will be a-angry.''

The girl's shoulders sunk even lower.

''Do you have anywhere else you could go? An uncle or aunt's place, perhaps?''

''N-no. They live too far away.''

She couldn't let this girl wander aimlessly by herself. She needed to make sure she was going to be safe.

''What about friends? Do you have friends you could contact?''

''I lost my phone.''

Mikan sighed. ''Well, how about you come back to my place? I am going out in a bit, but you are welcome to stay in my apartment and help yourself to the food in the fridge.''

The girl waited a few seconds - no doubt weighing out whether or not Mikan looked like a serial killer, but after concluding that Mikan was nothing of the sort, she nodded.

''Okay.''

The rest of the bus journey to Mikan's place was quiet. When it got to her stop, she gently took the girl's hand and got off the bus.

''My name is A-Aoi,'' she said when they began walking through the dimly-lit streets. ''I didn't actually lose my phone, I just didn't want to check it because I knew onii-san would be calling at texting me.''

Mikan turned and smiled, ''My name is Sakura Mikan. How come you don't want to contact your onii-san? Surely it'd make sense to let him know you were safe. What if he reports you as a missing person?''

Aoi looked down and stared at the pavement.

''Make sure you text him when we arrive at my apartment, okay? He must be worried sick about you.''

''Okay.''

Mikan took her key out of her bag and unlocked the door.

''And here is my apartment. It's quite small, I know, but it's quite homely.''

Aoi gazed round in awe and sat down on the sofa. ''It's very cosy.''

''Help yourself to whatever's in the fridge, I just need to get ready to go out tonight,'' Mikan said and handed the girl a chocolate bar from the kitchen drawer.

Aoi took it and took unwrapped it quickly.

''There's more chocolate in the second cupboard if you want any more. There's also biscuits in the third drawer down under the cooker.''

''Where are you going?'' she asked through a mouthful of chocolate.

''Oh,'' Mikan waved her hand in dismissal, ''just going out. Meeting some friends. I'm not the best with makeup so I've got to spend a long time on it.''

Aoi's eyes brightened at the word 'makeup'.

''I'm good at makeup, I can do it for you.''

Mikan thought for a moment - she couldn't really be arsed doing her own makeup and she would probably fuck it up anyway.

''I did my friend's makeup for prom and that turned out really good.'' Aoi said proudly, taking another bite of chocolate.

''Yeah, sure.''

''Great!'' the young girl said happily. ''First of all, I need to know what you're wearing.''

Mikan blinked. ''What I'm wearing?''

''Yeah.''

Mikan looked down at her barista uniform. ''This is what I'm wearing.''

''No,'' Aoi giggled, ''what you're wearing _tonight._ Unless,'' her face suddenly turned to disgust, ''you're wearing that tonight. No offence.''

''Oh, _right,''_ Mikan laughed, ''uh, I don't actually know.''

Aoi shook her head in astonishment. ''Most girls would have decided _weeks_ in advance!''

Mikan shrugged. ''I don't have many clothes anyway. I'll just pick something out now.''

''Come on, show me your wardrobe. I can help you choose something.''

Mikan nodded and led Aoi down the narrow hallway.

''This is my room.''

Mikan pushed open her door to reveal a tiny room with barely any furniture in it. There was one cheap-looking bed at one end of the room and a brown wardrobe at the other.

Aoi's eyes widened.

''This is it.'' Mikan said. ''I don't really have the time or money to go shopping nowadays, so this is all I have for the time being.''

''This is it?'' Aoi mumbled, walking in. ''We have ten bedrooms in our house that are triple the size of this room.''

''Well,'' Mikan smiled, ''you are one lucky girl, Aoi, and I bet your onii-san is still worried about you. Promise me you'll text him as soon as possible, okay?''

Aoi stiffened. ''Fine, I will.''

''Good.''

''But, seriously, we need to find you something to wear.''

Aoi opened up the doors to the wardrobe and peeked inside. Her jaw dropped.

''You only have...'' she began counting, '...five outfits?''

''Ah, yeah,'' Mikan mumbled. ''I don't really like shopping.''

Truth was, Mikan _loved_ clothes shopping. Nothing made her happier than coming home with armfuls of new coats and new shoes - but she had to sell most of her belongings to pay back the debt.

''Well, never mind,'' Aoi's hand disappeared into the darkness and reemerged with the pink tweed dress she was planning to wear. ''This is...this will have to do.''

Mikan nodded and kneeled down to search for her makeup box underneath her bed. Upon finding it, she pulled it out and handed it over to Aoi, who was still staring at the dress.

''I don't have much makeup,'' Mikan said sheepishly, ''I think I only own one lipstick.''

Aoi placed the dress on the bed. ''That's fine. You're pretty, so you don't need much makeup anyway.''

Mikan blushed. ''You really think so?''

''Yeah, of course.'' She began rooting through the contents of the box. ''If onii-san brought home a girl like you, I'd be happy.''

Mikan stopped, unsure whether that was meant to be a compliment or not.

''You should see some of the girls my onii-san brings home, ugh!'' Aoi stuck her tongue out.

''Why, what's wrong with them?''

Aoi began to apply blush to Mikan's cheeks.

''They're drunk half the time, so I don't even bother trying to talk to them. All they want is onii-san, they never pay attention to me.''

Mikan frowned, the brush tickling her skin. ''That's not very nice.''

''Onii-san said if any of them are mean to me, he'd make sure they never step foot in the house again.''

''Surely if they wanted to get on your onii-san's good side, they'd make an effort to talk to you?''

''Yeah, I know. This one time, a girl that liked onii-san bought me a necklace and said she would take me out to eat and stuff. I was excited at first because I always wanted a big sister figure and I thought if she and onii-san got together, we could all go out together. You know, family trips and that.''

''That sounds nice.''

''Yeah, it did - until I found out she was only being nice to me to get to onii-san. After he rejected her, she stopped talking to me and asked for the necklace back.''

The next twenty minutes was spent with Aoi perfecting Mikan's makeup and telling stories about her family and life.

''Yeah, and I dared my friend to eat the whole cake slice in one bit, and she almost threw up!'' Aoi giggled, putting away a brush.

''I'd love to get dared to eat cake,'' Mikan chuckled, admiring herself in the mirror now that she had the dress on. There was no denying that Aoi was a good makeup artist, and the pink eye shadow she used only accentuated her dress.

Glancing at the clock in the corner of her room, Mikan quickly went to her wardrobe to grab a cardigan.

''I've got to go now or else I'll be late. You can stay over but make sure you text your onii-san. It's been fun talking to you, Aoi.''

Aoi hugged Mikan tightly. ''Thank you for letting me stay. I'll text him, don't worry.''

''Good. I'm going now, bye!''

Mikan walked out of her bedroom and through the kitchen, grabbing an orange from the table on her way out. She threw her keys into her bag and got into the lift.

 _Aoi's brother sure sounds like a catch._

She remembered the story Aoi told of her tenth birthday and pictured a tall handsome man around her age playing Frisbee with her in the park.

 _''Onii-san may be scary to other people, but he is the best brother ever!''_

After a few more moments of nonsensical daydreaming about Aoi's brother, she quickly shook her head and walked out of the building and hailed down a taxi.

''I need to go to Love Divine, please.''

What would a rich, smart, and nice guy want to do with a poor, stupid hostess?

''Alright.''

Even the taxi driver gave her a strange look.

Ah, at least the daydreams were nice while they lasted.

* * *

He was on the verge of crushing his phone with his bare hands.

''Did she pick up yet?'' Ruka asked.

''No.'' Natsume snarled, glaring at his phone. ''This will be the thirtieth time I've called her.''

Ruka sighed. ''Maybe we should find someone to look for her. It's almost eleven and-''

They were interrupted by the sound of knocking at the front door.

''Ah, speak of the devil,'' Ruka awkwardly smiled.

''She better have a good explanation.''

Ruka rolled his eyes and followed suit. ''Calm down, don't kill the poor child.''

Natsume marched down the wide corridor and opened the front door. A scared and worried Aoi was standing on the front step.

Natsume glared daggers at her.

''Where. Have. You. Been?''

''Natsume...'' Ruka softly called.

''I'm sorry,'' she sniffled.

''Aoi-chan, your brother has been worried sick about you,'' Ruka gently said. ''What were you doing and why weren't you answering your phone?''

''I...got on the wrong bus home and panicked, but this really nice girl called Sakura let me go to her apartment for a bit.''

''You went home with a _stranger?''_ Natsume snapped. ''And why didn't you call for the Hyuuga chauffeur?''

''She was really nice! She gave me chocolates and let me do her makeup for her,'' she piped up loudly. ''And sometimes I want to get the bus like any other normal teenager, is that so wrong?''

Natsume squinted his eyes at her. ''No, but you clearly can't even get on the right one.''

''Alright, alright,'' Ruka said, ''let's get you inside and we can talk about it then, okay?''

Aoi huffed at Natsume and ran inside, her bag hitting Ruka's hip. The three then walked into the large Hyuuga-mansion kitchen and seated themselves at the long dining table.

''I'll make us some tea,' Ruka said, getting up.

''Tell me what happened,'' Natsume seethed, '' _now._ ''

Aoi sniffled. ''After school, Momoko-chan asked me if I wanted to go to the art gallery with her, since we had a project coming up. I said yes and then she called for her chauffeur to take us there.''

''Which Momoko?''

''Momoko Gotokuji.''

''From the Gotokuji family?''

''Uh-huh.''

Figured. Aoi went to a private school with children from aristocracy, noble families and even those with royal connections - if anyone had recognized her late at night by herself, she could've been in some serious danger.

''So we went. I told her I could get the bus home and so I did. Except, I got on the complete wrong bus. Luckily, this really nice girl called Sakura said I could go to her place.''

''Sakura?''

''Yeah, she said her name was Sakura. She was very pretty. You'd like her, onii-san.''

Natsume paused for a moment, taken aback by Aoi's comment.

''That was sweet of her to take you in,'' Ruka said as he placed three mugs of steaming tea down onto the table.

''Yeah, it was.'' Aoi grabbed a cup and took a small sip. ''We should invite Sakura-chan round to say thanks.''

 _Sakura-chan._

An image of a annoying giggling Sakura Mikan popped into his head.

''No.'' he said.

''What! You can't be serious. She helped me!''

''Natsume,'' Ruka said, ''don't be unreasonable. She helped Aoi-chan.''

 _Ping! 1 new message._

Natsume looked at his phone screen and saw a text from no other than Sumire.

 _I'm guessing you saw the headlines this morning. May I remind you of our date we have tomorrow? I'm sick of waiting for you, Natsume. I need you to take action now or else there'll be serious consequences. Need me to remind you of the newspapers?_

''I'm going to bed,'' Natsume abruptly said as he stood up.

''What?'' Aoi asked. ''But we were still discussing Sakura-chan.''

''Let him go, Aoi-chan. Your onii-san has had a hard day worrying about you and whatnot.''

Natsume left the kitchen.

''But I want to see Sakura-chan again!'' Aoi called.

He slowly moved up the stairs, his mind filled with images of a screaming and crying Sumire. He sighed and creased his brows.

''I said I want to see Sakura-chan!''

Suddenly, a calm image of Sakura Mikan popped into his throbbing head.

No screaming.

No crying.

Just Sakura Mikan, in all her chestnut-haired and chocolate-eyed glory.

Figured, since Aoi kept talking about this mysterious 'Sakura' woman. Mikan just happened to be one of the many Sakuras he knew and she just so happened to be the first one he thought of. After all, he had bumped into her that particular morning.

No big deal.

He reached his bedroom and began to undress.

He was dreading sleep; he knew that once he opened his eyes at the start of tomorrow, it would be the day that he was supposed to take Sumire out on a date. After all, he was forced to by his father.

Not to mention, the tabloids would go crazy if they found out about it.

He ruffled his hair and climbed under the duvet, waiting for the sleep to finally kick in.

After a few moments of silence, two bright-brown eyes popped into his head. Followed by a large smile. Followed by an annoying high-pitched laugh.

Sakura Mikan.

''Ugh,'' he groaned.

 _Still?_

Well, he figured, he was in no way eager to fall asleep so he might as well think about her ugly face all night long to keep him up; there was no way he could fall asleep whilst thinking about her irritating face.

* * *

It was one of the most peaceful sleeps he'd ever had.

* * *

 **\- x -**

* * *

 **A/N: let me know what you guys think and if you have any plot suggestions ~**


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